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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26689777">Early Frost</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mumricks_in_hats/pseuds/mumricks_in_hats'>mumricks_in_hats</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Flustered Mumintrollet | Moomintroll, Gay Panic, I may have fudged up their personalities a bit, Ice Skating, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, not gay panic as in murder just as in gays panicking, sorry 'bout that</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:15:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,307</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26689777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mumricks_in_hats/pseuds/mumricks_in_hats</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Frost came early and Moomin jumps to the (il)logical conclusion that Snufkin froze to death in the tent. It's very gay.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mumintrollet | Moomintroll &amp; Snusmumriken | Snufkin, Mumintrollet | Moomintroll/Snusmumriken | Snufkin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. In Which Moomin is Panic-Ridden About What Turned Out to be Nothing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Moomin!”</p><p>The young troll blinked groggily and squinted past the blankets. There was no one there. He shrugged it off as a dream and had just snuggled back into his pillow when, with an accompanying prod to the side this time, came another squawk.</p><p>“Moomin!”</p><p>Moomin groaned internally. Unfortunately, this wasn't a dream or a trick of his senses. He peered over the side of his bed. “What do you want, My?”</p><p>“Frost came early this year.”</p><p>“What?” </p><p>“I <em> said </em> frost came early this year”</p><p>“I heard you the first time. What do you mean by-”</p><p>“I <em> mean </em>everything’s frozen over.”</p><p>“What? It’s not even past apple season, things can't be frozen now.”</p><p>“That’s what early means,” Little My grumbled, “You moron.”</p><p>“Okay, okay, I get it.” Moomin yawned, and was just about to go back to sleep when he realized something. “Wait a minute,” he said, “What about Snufkin?”</p><p>“What about Snufkin?”</p><p>“Snufkin lives in a tent,” Moomin paled, panic rising in his voice, “He’ll have frozen to death!”</p><p>“I’m sure he’s fi-”, but before she could finish, Moomin bolted out of bed and down the stairs. “Quiet down!” Little My shouted after him, “Mamma’s still sleeping!”</p><p>“Why now?” Moomin muttered as he slid into the living room. The frost <em> always </em> waited until Snufkin had left for the winter! Why couldn't have it done that this year? He swung around the couch and sped out the door, almost tripping on the welcome mat. Another realization hit: Snufkin wasn't used to the cold, as he always left just before it came! This thought did not calm Moomins nerves. He spun around, trying to get his bearings. There! There was the bridge over the now-frozen river and next to it - Snufkins tent! It was covered in a crust of frost - that wasn't good. Moomin scurried over the bridge, careful not to slip on the ice. Just as he reached the tent, Snufkin popped his head out. “Moomintroll.”</p><p>“Snufkin!” gasped Moomin “you’re alive!”</p><p>“Is there any reason I wouldn't be?”, the mumrik smiled quizzically.</p><p>“I thought you had frozen to death!”</p><p>“Good luck I didn't then.”</p><p>“B-but how?”</p><p>“I have blankets. Do you want to go ice skating?”, Snufkin inquired.</p><p>“Um”, Moomin shuffled his feet, feeling quite silly, “I’m afraid I don’t know what that is.”</p><p>
  <span>Snufkin beamed. “I guess that means I’ll have to teach you!”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. In Which Moomin Is Surprisingly Okay At Skating</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I don't know,” Moomin said as Snufkin helped him with his skates, “This doesn't exactly seem like the safest idea. Ice is rather breakable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I know” Snufkin said “But we shouldn’t have to worry about that. The ice is thick enough that you can barely see the fish!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was right, as all Moomin could see of the fish was a few greyish blobs darting about under the ice. He wondered if the fish would be alright, considering they probably weren't used to the cold coming on quite so fast. Maybe that’s why they were moving so fast, to keep warm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There, that ought to do it.” Snufkin said as he tied the last knot and stood up, snapping Moomintroll out of his fish-induced trance. “Now, for your skating lessons!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay!” Moomin stood up and promptly tripped and knocked into Snufkin, which then knocked them both into a snowbank.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry!” Moomin exclaimed, his ears red from what he hoped Snufkin thought was the cold. “I've made such a fool of myself, haven't I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You haven't, and I don't see any reason why you might think you have. It's difficult to walk while wearing skates and this is only your first time so it makes sense that you would trip up.” Snufkin grinned at his friend as he pulled them both up into a standing position. “Now, would you like to get straight to skating or do you need a bit to recover?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Moomin grinned up at Snufkin - lovely, kind Snufkin - feeling much better. “I think I would like to learn to skate now!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were twenty minutes into the lesson and Moomin had learned absolutely nothing. Not that Snufkin was a bad teacher, quite the opposite as the mumrik seemed to know everything that one could know about skating. You see, teaching someone to skate usually requires quite a bit of arm-holding, as to prevent the student from falling over, and for some unknown reason this was making it difficult for Moomin to concentrate. It wasn't for lack of trying, it was that whenever Moomin tried to think about what Snufkin was saying his mind seemed to go right back to the fact that Snufkin was right there next to him, touching his arm, and -</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Moomintroll?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snufkin's voice snapped Moomin back to reality.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes?” Moomin asked, trying to appear as though he had been paying attention and not, in fact, thinking about what a lovely auburn color Snufkins hair was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you understand any of what I’ve said in the last quarter of an hour?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a lick”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what I thought,” said Snufkin as if trying to stifle a giggle, “You looked completely lost. Maybe a demonstration would work better?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds… yeah that sounds like a good idea.” It took him a second to process the words, like how he imagined Pappa felt when asked something while he was writing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, Snufkin didn’t seem to notice Moomins pausing and began to demonstrate the art of skating while Moomin tried his best to pay attention. He managed to succeed this time,  mainly because paying attention consisted of watching Snufkin gracefully twirl around on the ice in a way that greatly reminded him of the fish that he had been staring at earlier, darting about in ways that defied the trickiness of walking on ice and the danger that came with having blades strapped to ones shoes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snufkin gilded back to Moomin, who now only had mostly no idea of what he was doing as opposed to entirely no idea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, you don’t look quite so confused now. Would you like to try?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes I would.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great!” Snufkin exclaimed and snatched his friend's hand, pulling Moomin onto the ice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Moomin was still utterly terrified, but in a good way this time (later he would pin down this emotion as exhilaration, and even later realize it was only partly from skating). After a few minutes of warming up, the mumrik asked if Moomin could skate on his own. Moomin wasn’t sure but regretfully let go of Snuffkin’s hand and tried his luck.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, Snuff said to dig the tip of the blade into the ice - like that - and kick. Who on earth came up with the idea to strap knives to shoes and use the sharpest parts to- HOLY CRAP I’M MOVING NOW how do I stay up? Do I just - oh that worked guess I’ll keep doing that.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course the frozen pond was not infinite and Moomin still didn’t know how to turn but overall, he had done better than expected. Snufkin had even asked if he was sure he’d never skated before!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they were finished and now walking back to Moominhouse together the troll still wasn’t entirely convinced that Snufkin wasn’t lying to make him feel better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure I didn’t mess up too bad? It feels like there's no way you could be truthful about me being good when I was so clumsy-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snuffkin looked him dead in the eyes and cut him off. “Moomin, we have known each other since before I can remember. When have I lied to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You haven't...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So why would I lie to you about something as trivial as this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Moomin paused and tried to come up with something. He couldn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Touche.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snufkin chuckled, thrilled with his victory, and was still smirking when they said their goodbyes on the porch. Moomin found this smirk equal parts infuriating and delightful.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry I haven't posted in like half a year. I was going to earlier but then I didn't. Hope a flustered Moomin makes up for it!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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